Following a group of quick paced, jovial Humpback Whales I felt as if I was jumping from stepping stone to stepping stone as my kayak glided over each footprint they had left behind.
A footprint is the smooth water imprint a whale leaves on the surface of the ocean after he goes under water.
I began my morning kayak following one small pod as they did a mellow meander moving out toward Molokini Island. I observed another pod, toward Molokini Island, moving in toward us. As the 2 pods came together, they got lively, rambunctious and performed many antics. Human (my) interpretation: they became playful when the 2 groups merged. They had lots of surface blows, some spy hops and tail dives as they moved quickly down the coast. They were moving so quickly, I was at near full kayak pace and they continued to stay one footprint ahead of me. Thanks for the workout!
They played and frolicked for some time, and some distance. It was such an enjoyable whale show. I was holding my breath, not to miss a single sound of their loud breaths.
Then, slightly apart from the group came a breach. I heard the whale come up out of the water, caught the view of full body out of the water, white belly facing me, then heard and felt the reverberation of the loud landing in my belly. Those 2 whales came right by me, semi-circled me, then headed out to sea, away from their friends they had left behind.
Human (my)interpretation for the breach: This was the farewell salute to the pod as the 2 decided to go on their separate way, on their original journey off toward Molokini.
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